Blame Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Blame - Essay Example The consequentialist theory holds that the moral rightness or ethicality of the act can only be determined by the actual consequences that the act yields (Armstrong). Also, the rules applicable to the acts of same kind or motivation behind the act, also determine the moral rightness of the act. If the consequences are good for the people than the act is also good. Based on the consequentialist theory, the terrorist’s actions held no moral rightness or ethicality as their acts directly resulted in the killing of thousands of people and indirectly it resulted in creating an atmosphere of fear for the Americans, and discrimination for the people of same ethnic and geographical background. Although all Muslims, be they devout or not, are not responsible for such actions and do not hold such enmity against Americans, yet, the actions of the terrorists resulted in reflecting upon the whole Muslim community. Which gives rise to the blame that if the actions of the terrorists were not morally right so are the actions of the people who discriminate against the Muslims or the Arabs are wrong; as being part of a learned civilization they should

Fashion Existing Online Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fashion Existing Online - Case Study Example The paper "Fashion Existing Online" talks about the fashion that exists online. In order for the company to successful in this competitive market of fashion, it has targeted particular market and potential customers worldwide. The targeted customer by MO is women who love fashion and are willing to pay adequately and in full price for luxurious shoes, clothes and accessories. The company targets specific customer; a customer who will be able to afford designer looks right off the runway and who is fashion conscious enough to buying the clothing. The company has already targeted 80% of American who are shoppers in New York, outside New York and Florida, whereby the company’s initial customers were their personal network and customers referred by the network (Mukti, 2014). The company is still low on target markets that they are aware to be biggest luxury markets; although it ships it’s good to more than 150 countries. They have targeted the European, Asian and Middle Eas t markets as they are growing very fast. Fulfillment eService for Moda Operandi can plug into its sales system in order to monitor the orders’ status and track deliveries. For Moda Operandi, it allows its customers to preorder exclusive designer looks that are ready to wear fashions, handbags, shoes, and accessories in online designer trunk-shows. With many designer products originating in Europe, Middle East and Asia, the company outsources fulfillment in order to service customer; thus making substantial financial savings.

Critical Thinking Essay Example for Free

Critical Thinking Essay â€Å"Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.† (Michael Scriven Richard Paul) It is based on values that go above and beyond for clarity, precision, consistency, relevance. good reasons etc†¦It examines all reasoning and purpose. Questioning leads to clearer and well thought out conclusions less consequences and allows you to view things from alternative viewpoints. Critical thinking can allow someone to process a situation, and guide you to a better decision. Critical thinking guides a persons behavior and actions towards different situations These actions vary according to the motivation behind it. Critical thinking of any kind is never the same in any person. Everyone is subject to irrational thought. Its depth, among other things, in a given situation will determine the level of thought someone will put in the situation. No one is a critical thinker at all times but only with time and self awareness one would be more likely to change there behaviors. This is a self-guided and self motivating trait. You will see it more in someone trying to live more reasonably. It allows you to think more clearly and rationally. Critical thinking can help us acquire knowledge, and improve our theories. We use critical thinking to enhance work processes and improve social interactions. By using this method you are looking at the big picture and not just focusing on what is right in front of you. â€Å" Critical thinking operates on a higher level processing information, conseeding alternative points of view or reasonable objectives and arriving at a decision or making a conclusion.† (Abitheira) Active, persistent and careful consideration of a belief or supposed form of knowledge in light of the grounds that support it, and the further conclusions to which it tends. (John Dewey, 1909) References: Michael Scriven Richard Paul for the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking Instruction Criticalthinking.org Copyright  ©2013 Foundation for Critical Thinking 21st Century Skills GCU Library

The Evolution Of Dance In Theater Theatre Essay

The Evolution Of Dance In Theater Theatre Essay Dance is defined as the art of movement. It can be used to express feelings, to exercise, to perform, and some can even interact and have nonverbal conversation though the art of dance. Dance is usually performed through the rhythm and beat of music, but it doesnt necessarily have to involve music. Sports even sometimes incorporate a certain dance, or type of dance. For example, a martial arts kata is simply a series of movements put together to be performed with the grace and strength of a dance. Dance is also used in sports such as synchronized swimming, ice skating, and gymnastics. There are many types of dance, ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, modern, and contemporary just to name a few. Most people cant go through the day without seeing a type of dance performed in some way. Whether its seeing kids dance at a prom, a person walking down the street moving to the beat of their iPod, or simply turning on the television, its something thats in our everyday lives. But have you ever wondered where it all started, or how it became what it is today? Angel 2 It was believed that dancing was a ritual in early ancient civilizations; priests would dance to the rhythm of harps and pipes to tell stories to the ancient gods, people also danced at funerals to express their sorrow. Around this same time period ballet was beginning to evolve in France. As it continued to spread through Italy, England, and Russia, it became a concert dance, which is often, even today, seen in movies and events all over the world. Dancing has continued to blossom into what it is today, and the best way to show how it has become what it is today, is though film. One of the first movies that involved sing and dance was the 1952 film, Singing in the Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Donald OConnor and Debbie Reynolds. This movie was more of a Broadway musical, but it is one of the first movies that involved dance at all. The most famous part of this movie is when the main character, Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), dances through the streets with an umbrella as he twirls and sings the title song. He then grabs onto a pole and swings around it continuing to sing. During the filming of this scene he had a 103 degree fever, but thanks to the help of the camera crew, this scene only had to be shot one time. After the production of this movie, dancing became the new craze. Dances such as, the Bop, the Stroll and the Swing became popular. Also when the song Willy and The Hand Jive was released, it stayed at the top of the charts for 16 weeks. Poodle skirts and pony-tails were the style, and Do Wop music was what everyone wanted to hear. Angel 3 The 60s rolled around quickly and with a new decade, came new traditions. A brand new dance became the new trend. In 1960 Chubby Checker released his song entitled The Twist. The Twist was the first Rock Roll dance in which partners didnt have to touch each other. The Twist was once said to be like, putting out a cigarette with both feet and drying off your bottom with a towel to the beat of the music. It was performed with the feel shoulder width apart, standing straight up, with the arms fully extended and slightly bent at the elbows. Then the next move was simply to twist the body back and forth. Other popular dances during this time period were the Mashed Potato, the Monkey, and the Madison. The Baby Boomers definitely played a role in all the dance explosion of the 60s. Throughout the end of this decade many of these dances were seen in movie productions and on Broadway. Next we enter the retro years of the 70s, KC and the Sunshine Band topped the charts, and Disco was the new craze. Everyone was aware that sooner or later the sex appeal of disco would make its way to the film industry. There isnt a movie that shows this better than Saturday Night Fever starring, John Travolta and Karen Lynn Gorney. Saturday Night Fever became an instant box office hit with the famous dance by John Travolta to the Bee Gees smash hit Stayin Alive. Disco was one of the fast dances of the decade, with 110-140 bmp (beats per minute). It wasnt long before everyone wanted to become a part of the raging disco scene, eventually Angel 4 groups such as Kiss, and The Rolling Stones, and people like Cher and Rod Stewart were all in on the fun. As the years passed Broadway musicals became popular for a short period of time. After the great success of Hair in 1970, movies continued to make it from Broadway to the big screen. Grease, All That Jazz, and Dreamgirls, just to name a few. Toward the end of the 70s came the first big Broadway film to hit the box office. Grease hit the cinemas in 1978 and it soon became a dance sensation. The dances from this film are often recreated in dance classes, at recitals, shows and other events; some of these dances are even trademarked. This movie was not only a musical it was also very popular for its energetic cast and its feel good love story. One of the most famous dance moves from this movie was The Hand Jive. Since then there have been many different variations of how it is done. Grease is one musical that has been said to never get old with the catchy songs and the disco and jive moves of John Travolta. Grease produced one of the best selling soundtracks in the world. Also, once Grease went to Broadway, it was one of the longest running musicals of all time, until Cats overtook it just recently. The next movie of the 70s that shows a definite change in the music and dance of the decade was All That Jazz in 1979. This film starring Roy Scheider and Jessica Lange is based on the aspects of a dancer, a choreographer, and a directors life and career. It was inspired by the Angel 5 directors effort to edit a film, while also staging a 1975 musical Chicago. This film closed out the 1970s with a bang. It was awarded many honors, and four Oscars. Also, in 2001, the United States deemed the film culturally significant and it is now preserved in the National Film Registry. So to wrap up the 70s the Twist, the Bump, the Jitterbug, the Hustle and the Swing were all very popular dances, but through these years nothing compared to the Americans love for the Disco. It was the last immensely popular move driven by the baby boomers generation, but soon enough came the 80s and with a new decade came new traditions, fashions, and of course a brand new dance. The 80s was definitely one of the best decades for new dance moves, and movies that portrayed this. From the musicals like Fame and Footloose, to the break dancing skills showed in the film Breakin, a rewind of 70s disco in Saturday Night Fever, the mambo and freestyle dance of Dirty Dancing, to the unusual dance moves of the extremely popular Michael Jackson. The 80s was another step to make dancing what it is today. These 10 years were some of the best in dance history. One of the first 1980s dance movies to earn a spot in the all-time movies hall of fame is Fame (1980), starring Eddie Barth, Irene Cara and Laura Dean. Fame mainly took part at a Performing Arts Academy, with many great performances. Fame is considered a musical with a large amount of singing and dancing. It was awarded 3 honors, 2 Oscars, as well as 16 other Angel 6 nominations. It wasnt a huge hit, but it still remembered by some and it showed how the sing and dance of this time period was done. 1983s Flashdance was a major pop culture influence, with a style of its own. This film is the story of a Pittsburgh woman (Jennifer Beals) that juggles two jobs, one as a welder, and the other as an exotic dancer. Of course, during this time exotic dancing wasnt twirling on a pole and taking off clothes, it was much different. She longs to make a career of her dancing and apply to a ballet school, but doesnt have to confidence in her skills to apply. Flashdance had a worldwide box-office gross of 100 million, won 10 honors, one Oscar, and was nominated for 13 other nominations. This was a very stylish movie that entertained millions with the 80s pop music and new dance moves. Flashdance popularized the dance of the 80s with many new hit songs and dances. The next movie that shows an evolution in the dance moves of the 80s is actually a sequel to the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever. Stayin Alive was a 1983 movie starring John Travolta, Cynthia Rhodes, and Finola Hughes. This film begins five years later with the main character, Tony Manero, dancing on the weekend nights at a disco club to run from his problems. Eventually he decides to leave his life as a dance instructor and club waiter to pursue a career on Broadway. He ends up getting the lead role in a Broadway show called Satans Alley. This film brought in 65 million, it was a lot less than its predecessor in 1977, but it managed to be one of the top 10 successful movies of the 80s. Angel 7 In 1984 Kevin Bacons moves and energy made one of the best high budget dance movies of the 80s. Footloose combines great dance music with dancers and a story of a guy that came from a big city, to a small town where dance is banned. Jazz, Hip-hop and freestyle were the main dances of choice throughout this film. Around this time in the 80s Footloose was a rival to Flashdance, but it was said many times that Footloose was definitely the favorite for most people. This film starring not only Kevin Bacon, but Lori Singer and John Lithgow as well, brought in 80 million, it was nominated for 2 Oscars and 4 other nominations. The next 1984 movie was one of the lower budget movies, and according to some, it put some of the higher budget movies to shame. Breakin was one of those movies that were very different than what most people were used to. Unlike most movies, it used talented dancers, rather than talented actors to dance. The difference with this movie rather than most during the 80s was that its a celebration of dance; it doesnt really have any particular style it was more of a freestyle dance movie. This movie was about a jazz dancer named Kelly (Lucinda Dickey) that meets two break dancers who combine their dance styles. Although the acting wasnt great, the dancing definitely made up for it. The sequel was released a year later, but it wasnt near the hit as this one. Because this movie wasnt like the traditional movies of the 80s it was only nominated for one award and it only brought in 38 million, however this movie was also very different than the rest during this time period that was a major fa ctor in the downfall. Angel 8 In the film industry of the 80s one of the biggest successes was Dirty Dancing. This is a 1987 film starring Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey and Cynthia Rhodes. Personally this is my absolute favorite movie of all time. Something that most people dont know was that Dirty Dancing was a true story based on the screenwriter, Eleanor Bergsteins own childhood. This movie was the story of a 17 year old girl and her family who goes on vacation at a resort, eventually Baby Housman (Jennifer Gray) falls in love with the resorts dance instructor (Patrick Swayze), while her family strongly disapproves. She spends her entire summer with him as he teaches her to dance. When this film was finished and about to be put in theatres the directors and cast were informed that this film would be a huge flop and possibly one of the worst films made during this time period. Little did they know that Dirty Dancing is considered today, the best dance movie ever made and it would still be the favorite of many people today. As of 2007 this film earned $213.9 million worldwide, and it was the first home video to sell more than a million copies. The Dirty Dancing soundtrack also produced two multi-platinum albums and multiple singles. This film went on to win an Oscar, as well as 9 other awards, and 5 nominations. Although there wasnt a movie about the dance styles of Michael Jackson, I believe that he played a major part in the shift of styles in the 80s. Michael Jacksons career was booming with new dances, songs and styles during this time. In 1982 his album Thriller still remains Angel 9 today, the bestselling album of all time, and remained on the Billboard 200 peak position for 37 weeks straight. It contained 7 top ten hits, and it was only a 9 track album. We Are the World and Bad were also big hits during this time period, making music and dance even more popular. As the 80s continued Michael Jackson was said to be one of the biggest stars of the world. He popularized dances such as the Moonwalk, the Kick, the Soulful Robot and the Never-Ending Spin. The 80s has been said to be the decade of dance, there was break dancing, the Worm, the Moonwalk and more. During the 80s the dancing definitely took a step up to what it is for most people today. Also, many movies through these 10 years showed a change in the dance styles. The beginning of the 90s dance styles was very similar to the 80s. Michael Jackson was still popular; the same dance movies were being watched over and over; and most people were still stuck in their 80s ways of life. As the 1990s continued dance moves such as the Macarena, the Cha Cha Slide, the Running Man, and the Electric Slide. One of the first dance movies in a long time came out in the year 2000, Center Stage, starring Amanda Schull, Zoe Saldana and Peter Gallagher was one of those dance movies with a plot that wasnt so good, but the dancing was excellent. This film revisits styles of ballet, Broadway dancing, and disco, and blends together styles of its own. It also shows the difficulty Angel 10 and common issues of professional dancing and how some people cope with the stress without computer special effects. The next movie isnt exactly a dance movie, but it shows how dancing has recently been incorporated into other activities, such as cheerleading. Bring it On was the 2000; film starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku and Gabrielle Union. Bring it On shows how cheerleading involves dance as well, and how had dance has spread to other activities. Not only does cheerleading involve dancing, but many other sports too, such as synchronized swimming its nothing more than a dance in water, or figure skating. Even professional football players are sent to ballet classes to obtain balance and poise. This is an excellent film that shows the importance of dancing in sports such as cheerleading. The year 2004 takes us to a memorable movie where the style changes to ballroom dance. Shall We Dance shows many types of ballroom dance, like the Waltz, Quickstep and Tango. This film was first a Japanese film, but this version starring Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere, and Susan Sarandon, is the story of a workaholic lawyer who is getting bored with his daily routine, and he decides to take ballroom dance classes to make his life a little more interesting. As the time he dances continues he finds joy in it more and more. This film brought in 57.8 million dollars and was nominated for 4 awards. Angel 11 The next film takes us back to the musicals of the 70s and 80s, Hairspray, starring Zac Efron, John Travolta, Amanda Bynes, Queen Latifah and Michelle Pfeiffer was the fourth highest grossing musical film in US cinema history, behind Grease, Chicago and Momma Mia! This film is set in Baltimore in 1963; the story is about a plump teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) who seeks stardom as a dancer on a local television show. The 1988 original version of Hairspray earned 6.6 million and was nominated for 4 awards, while the 2007 version earned 188.8 million in the box office, was nominated for 3 Golden Globes, won 12 other awards, and had 18 other nominations. This was an energetic dance movie, much like Grease, with plenty of heart, it was said to make people want to get up and sing and dance. The final and most recent successful 2006 dance movie is very similar to Dirty Dancing. Step Up, starring Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan, is a perfect example of what dance has become today. Step Up is the story of a privileged ballet dancer who meets a free style dance rebel with a dream of making it in the real world of dance. In this film there was a mix of hip-hop, ballet, modern and break dancing to make this film perfect for this list of movies that helped our styled evolve today. This movie earned 65.3 million in the box office, and won one award and was nominated for 3 other awards. Things have definitely changed from the 1950s until today, but one thing in common with all of these movies is the real message; follow your dreams, and never give up on the things that you want. Another thing that all these movies have in common, it that it gives most people the urge to get up and dance.

Young Male Violence and the Communities that Nurture It Essay examples

Jerry sat nervously at his desk, staring at the clock while about twenty pairs of eyes momentarily glanced over or glared at him. The seconds were slipping by far too quickly as the teacher finished explaining the homework assignment for the next day, and Jerry could feel the sweat slipping down his back in just the same way. All day long he had heard second hand threats from the other kids at school that Tim Stern was going to pound him before the day was through, and Tim sent vicious looks his way to reaffirm the rumors. The bell rang and Jerry darted from his seat; he ran down the hallway to his locker where he grabbed his skateboard for the ride home. A couple of his friends ran into him, and together they began sprinting out of the school building. One of the teachers yelled after them, â€Å"Slow down boys! There’s no fire!† They hadn’t been fast enough, because Tim and his friends and a whole group of onlookers were already waiting in the alley just beyond the school parking lot. Jerry threw his things on the ground. Tim was furious because Jerry had verbally humiliated him the day before in a restaurant most of the kids at school hung out at; to make matters worse, Jerry had just started dating Tim’s ex-girlfriend. The crowd was excited because both of the boys were pretty well built; bets had been placed, and the cliched chant, â€Å"Fight! Fight! Fight!† spilled out before Jerry and Tim could even exchange words. Without hesitation, Tim threw the first punch and Jerry, stumbling backward, tripped and fell to the ground. The crowd of kids roared and Tim shook hands with some of his buddies. While no one was looking, Jerry sprung up and dealt a hard blow to the back of Tim’s head with the trucks of his skateboard. T... ...minance. If you will recall, in the beginning of this report I stated that a teacher was calling out to some young men, â€Å"There’s no fire!† However, in reality there is a fire, and this fire takes the form of the pressure on young males to be violent members of our species. Whether it is an urban community’s physical violence, a suburban community’s mental violence, or the sexual violence common to both, it is interesting to note that so much of it is strongly upheld and created by the working culture of men. Much of the violence has to do with the pressures on males to be providers: something we often think has disappeared. Ultimately, it is exactly these kinds of pressures, norms, and customs in combination with a general need for acceptance that amount to the stress on young men to make it to the top. This is what fuels the fire of young male violence.

First Inhabitants of the Great Lakes Region Essay -- North American Ge

The First Inhabitants of the Great Lakes Region in North America As archeological discoveries of bone fragments and fossils continue to support the existence of homo-sapiens in North America prior to the arrival of Indo-European explorers in the 15th century, this paper will attempt to explain chronologically, which Native American inhabitants lived or migrated throughout what is known today as the Great Lakes Region. This region includes lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Ontario, & Erie as well as surrounding U.S. state territories including Michigan, a significant portion of Wisconsin, small portions of Minnesota & Indiana, a small part of Illinois and the Canadian providence of Ontario toward the north. In terms of chronological dates, this paper will analyze the quaternary period, specifically the â€Å"Holocene epoch from 8000 B.C. to Present; the last 10,000 years † (Quimby 2), since this epoch involved the fundamental evolution of mankind to the present. It is important to realize that the late Pleistocene epoch had a dramatic affect on the migration patterns of homo-sapiens reaching â€Å"the Americas by 14,000 ago† (O’Brien 12), after large portions of North America encountered the last ice age, which through glaciation and glacial retreat affected the date of arrival and presence of indigenous people throughout the Great Lakes Region. Shortly following the glacial retreat of the upper Great Lakes region around 11,000 B.C., the flora and fauna in the region began to develop prior to and upon the arrival of the â€Å"Paleo-Indian tribe, circa 7000 B.C. to 4500 B.C.† (Quimby 6). Between this time period, in 6000 B.C., the basins of the upper Great Lakes became entirely ice free and moraines and depressions began forming t... ...indigenous inhabitants mentioned throughout this report. This led me to conclude that Indian life in North America was without doubt, altered if not completely destroyed of its dignity, prosperity and self-worth ever since the arrival of the white man to this very day. WORKS CITED Kubiak, William J. Great Lakes Indians. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House Company, 1970. O’Brien, Patrick K. Philips Atlas of World History. London : George Philip Limited, 1999. Quimby, George I., Spaulding, Albert C. "The Old Copper Culture and the Keweenaw Waterway" Fieldiana : Anthropology 36 no. 8 (1963): 189-201. Quimby, George I. Indian Life in the Upper Great Lakes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1960. Ritzenthaler E. Robert, Quimby, George I. "The Red Ocher of the Upper Great Lakes and Adjacent Areas." Fieldiana : Anthropology 36 no.11 (1963): 243-275.

Effective Management of Job in Post Merger and Acquisition Scenario

RAYAT LONDON COLLEGE SUBJECT:- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY COURSE:- MBA SEMESTER 1 LECTURER SUBMITTED BY SUBMISSION DATE DR. LANGESWARAN SUPRAMANIAN ARSHAD MUHAMMAD 14 DECEMBER 2007 â€Å"EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF JOB REDUNDANCIES IN POST MERGER AND ACQUISITION SCENARIO (SERVICE SECTOR)† ASSIGNMENT TOPIC 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. ABSTRACT 2. INTRODUCTION 3. MOTIVATION 4. RATIONALE 5. LITERATURE REVIEW 6. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 7. FURTHER EVOLUTION 8. CONCLUSION 9. REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES Page NO 3 4 6 9 12 19 19 22 22 1. ABSTRACT This report introduces a practical model of training and development needs assessment to reduce redundancies stress on employees after merger and acquisition. The proposed model is competency-based, which allows for the incorporation to reduce redundancies in post merger situation. When redundancy is the only route available, employers invariably feel obliged to assist those affected with positive planning measures for what, at the time, can seem an uncertain future. However, this is not an easy task. Redundancy can be a difficult ordeal, hitting hard both mentally and emotionally and unless professionally implemented, employers will invariably fall short of ? having done enough‘ to really help. Everyone deals with redundancy in a different way. Being made redundant can provoke a range of emotions at different times, including shock, anger, loss, fear, denial or acceptance. Redundancy after M&A is a risk to all employees, and needs careful handling and counselling. Less recognised are the needs of those left behind. On the analogy of major disasters, they too demand meticulous attention to avoid deleterious effects both to themselves and to their organisations. The management of restructuring, redeployment or redundancy is important, not simply to be humanitarian, or for good public relations, but also because the effectiveness, vision and mission of the organisation that survives is at stake. Survival tips for both the individual and the organisation are indicated. 2. INTRODUCTION Since the late 1980s, the total number of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) has far surpassed the number that occurred throughout the 1960s. Whereas the M&As throughout the 1960s were mainly due to unions between conglomerates, the 1980s and 1990s has witnessed an increase in M&As between firms of different sizes and different industry types, Merger and acquisition would have corporate strategies directed at gaining competitive advantage and satisfying customers? eeds always have human resource implications, and tactics such as job redesign, multi-skilling, redeployment, training, paying for performance, layoffs and downsizing should be specifically directed at implementing the human resource strategies of organisations. Unfortunately, however, the strategic considerations which should accompany the use of these tactics are often absent. The primary purpose of merging and acquiring new firms is usually to improve overall performance by achieving synergy, or the more commonly described as the ? + 2 = 5? effect between two business units that will increase competitive advantage (Weber, 1996). Recent research indicates that these M&As have a negative impact on the economic performance of the new entity because of human resource implications mostly redundancies (Tetenbaum, 1999). Therefore, although M&As are usually extremely well planned out in terms of financial and legal aspects, the conclusion that has to be drawn is that these poor results have come to be attributed to poor human resource planning. Redundancies after M&As can be a difficult ordeal, hitting hard both mentally and emotionally and unless professionally implemented, employers will invariably fall short of ? having done enough‘ to really help. Redundancy is probably the most evocative and fear inducing form of organisational change for many workers. Each year in the UK, there are over 200,000 notified redundancies. What is perhaps of more concern is that many organisation merger and acquisition change programmes have relied heavily on redundancy even though they have been articulated as downsizing or, more euphemistically as rightsizing or business process eengineering (Champy, 1995). 4 The essence of research is to explore how well human resources are being managed within organisations and better to understand the impacts of organisational change in different sectors and at levels in the organisational hierarchy after merger and acquisition. Have pre-existing human resources strategies to cope with redundanci es after M&As would reduce the stress on employee and also on organisation. Human resources strategies like open up consultative and participative organisationwide discussion to seek out possibilities that minimise redundancies, establish sound two-way means of communication which permit employees to freely vent their feelings, with a guaranteed right of reply from the organisation, communicate constantly and effectively, actively evaluate impact, exercise effective leadership from the top, ensuring that the pain is shared, provide a clear reconciliation of the market and financial situation, offer immediate counselling and assistance to all those identified for redundancy set up a mutual support network for those made redundant and continue to offer human resources help where required are the core tools which can organisations should implement after redundancies in merger and acquisition situation. Mergers are not without their downsides. They can consume an incredible amount of time and money, legal and tax complications, and problems with mixing corporate cultures and last but not least the redundancies. It has been estimated that fully 50 percent never achieve the initial financial and market goals projected. Decisions to merge assume that synergy will develop between two organisations that combine resources and talent and achieve economies of scale and integrated technologies. Whenever two separate organisations merge, they want synergy. Each side hopes to benefit from the merger and initially willingly attribute benefit to the other. However, synergy does not occur easily or without effort. A merger may change the name of the company and management, but the real benefits occur when people ascribe to merged goals and ideals. There were more than 36,700 transactions with a combined value of more than US$3. 49 trillion (Thomson Financial, 2001). The number of jobs that these mergers impacted on has not been estimated, but conservatively it must run into the hundreds of thousands. For instance, at least 130,000 finance jobs have 5 disappeared in western Europe alone as a result of mergers and acquisitions in the 1990s (International Labour Organization, 2001). 3. MOTIVATION Post-merger depression begins the day top executives declare that the merger, of which the most obvious is losing one‘s job. But redundancy after M&A can be an opportunity for positive change. Time could be spent on self discovery and re-focusing e. g. advancement new people and forming new working opportunities, meeting merger is done. Employees often expressive many fears they are confronted with following a relationships, learning new skills, getting over the pain caused by the merger, and setting new goals as well as creating an organisation that is better than the two original separate organisations. Building on valuable training, experience, skills, talents and past achievements. While accommodating new work / life balance considerations and identifying new and as yet unrealised opportunities that only a fresh start can afford. Explores redundancy after M&A as a significant and pervasive outcome of organisational change. The need to manage the redundancy transition has provoked the development of new HRM policies and practices. Highlights interventions such as redundancies are often used by companies with little rigorous evaluation of their utility or benefit, yet their continued proliferation would suggest that they appear to have assumed essential credibility and value. The pervasive and complex nature of current changes dictates not only the need for a better understanding of the practices that exist but also an exploration of how HRM theory of redundancies can contribute to and enhance that understanding. The complexity of the situation for the survivors of redundancy after M&As means that no simple formula exists. The variables at play are diverse. It is often difficult to provide cause and effect data, reflected in an overall lack of evaluation. It appears that there have been few reported successful attempts to implement intervention strategies which support and assist the framework of organisational change after 6 redundancies due to M&As and personal transition for both those leaving and the survivors of a redundancy experience. One prime example is BBC model to deal with redundancies, considering that everyone's future at the BBC was uncertain during the 2004, including members of the HR department. BBC worked to build in the flexibility to provide as many courses as were needed and to ensure that those you were going to made redundant had sufficient clarity about their own careers first, to help them to provide the objectivity that those they were working with would need. Suggestions for managing redundancies would be to encourages organisations to develop strategies which reduce, avoid or limit redundancy after M seeks to ensure that if redundancy occurs, it is handled in accordance with the law seeks to raise awareness of strategies which assist those affected to retain self-respect and enhance employability. Redundancy is one of the most traumatic events an employee may experience. Announcement of redundancies will invariably have an adverse impact on morale, motivation and productivity. The negative effects can be reduced by sensitive handling of redundant employees and those remaining. If possible, it is preferable for an organisation to establish a formal procedure on redundancy after merger. In many organisations a formal agreement may have been negotiated and agreed between management and trade union or employee representatives. Some organisations deal with redundancies by an informal arrangement with a practice which varies for each redundancy or they may only start to consider the appropriate procedure for the first time when a redundancy situation arises. At the very least in order to plan and implement a redundancy situation properly, the following stages will be followed in most redundancies: o Planning o Invitation of volunteers o Consultation, both collective and individual o Use of objective selection criteria 7 Compliance with all three stages of statutory dismissal procedures o Advance notice of individual consultation meeting o Permitting a colleague to be present at consultation meetings o Opportunity to appeal o Allowing seeking of suitable alternat ive employment o Statutory or other redundancy payment o Relocation expenses o Helping redundant employees obtain training or alternative work. Of course the exact procedure varies according to the timescale and size of the redundancy after M. Mergers and acquisitions (M) are increasingly prevalent, powerful and risky corporate events. The resistance or support of people in the integration of two previously separate organisations plays a key role for their success or failure. As ? merged‘ corporations integrate previously separate organisations, they can often dis-integrate individual careers with lay-offs, reduced advancement opportunities, upset or changed career plans, and other resistance-generating changes. This is the poorest means of mobilizing motivation, experience, commitment and competence, all of which are usually seen as critical justifications for M in the first place. Organisations face opportunity to select new combinations and integrate work in ways that individual careers can be re-integrated into the goals of the M with the goals and motivations of participants affected by it, by recognizing and effectively supporting different motivational and competence profiles. Senior management who had been involved in M identified talent retention as their biggest challenge in leading a successful merger or acquisition, followed by making the deal generate long term value. Less skilled firms in the art of M also focused on talent management but failed to create the fundamental climate of ownership that recognised the value of staff. 8 Managing and developing talent will prove instrumental for organisations to retain their competitive position and deal with the twin challenges of leadership and growth. According to new research by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, France, the Netherlands, and the UK have the worst redundancy pay. Based on minimum statutory paid notice and severance pay for a white-collar employee aged 40, made redundant after 10 years on a salary of ? 20,000, the average redundancy pay across the EU was ? 11,163. But using the same comparison the redundancy pay would be just ? 5,000 in France and the Netherlands and ? 5,128 in the UK. In Spain and Italy the payment would be ? 25,464 and ? 18,276 respectively, and ? 15,000 for both Belgium and Austria. 4. RATIONALE The rationale for M activity is a key value-added role that the board can and should play. A value-based analysis can be strategic rationale of a deal, revealing its true underlying economics. For an acquisition to deliver improved financial performance, it must enhance the strategic position of the acquirer‘s businesses or the target‘s businesses. More precisely, it must improve either market economics or competitive position of the business units. No brainer deals that provide great returns by simply eliminating redundancies, achieving a lower cost of capital or lowering tax rates are virtually a thing of the past. So mergers and acquisitions must be justified through the strategic benefits that will be realised. Signs of human stress are present in all combinations, even the friendliest and bestmanaged ones. Manifestations of the merger syndrome appear in all varieties of corporate combination, be they mergers or acquisitions, friendly or hostile, domestic or international, involving companies of similar or different sizes and so on. Personal involvement in organisational mergers and acquisitions has served to foster an awareness of the various symptoms of the ? merger syndrome?. Twelve such indicators are preoccupation; imagining the worst; stress reactions; crisis management; constricted communication; illusion of control; clash of cultures; we vs. 9 they; superior vs. inferior; attack and defend; win vs. lose; and decisions by coercion, horse trading and default. (Schweiger et al. 1987) cite job security as the most important factor for employees during a merger, followed by pay and benefits, work autonomy, and performance feedback. Research has also indicated that the organisational change process in mergers is usually tightly controlled by management and decisions on job losses are driven solely by the need to reduce numbers (Kanter, 1986). Thus employees are commonly concerned not only with job security but also with how selection decisions are made. Related to this, a number of researchers have shown that perceptions of procedural fairness are a key factor in determining staff attitudes to, and experience of, merger change. In particular, the perceived fairness of redundancy procedures is reported to impact significantly on the attitudes of the staff that remain in the organisation (Brockner and Greenberg, 1990; Schweiger et al. , 1987, 1994). A number of organisations using a compulsory approach to redundancy selection made the point that once change is known to be about to occur there is more to be gained in terms of gaining the commitment of key players than in leaving these employees ? in the dark?. One organisation held briefing sessions for all its senior managers before the advent of a redundancy programme in order to provide reassurance, and to talk through strategic plans after the redundancies, with all main board directors present to field questions. This was designed to be open in nature so that these managers could in turn return to their staff to counter any ? doom and gloom? suggestions. Managers such as these have been used as the ? ears? of the organization in order to feed back issues which arise during this period of uncertainty, so that a response can be made by the organization in order to minimize any adverse effects. In spite of these benefits, other organisations stated that they did not reveal plans to anyone outside a very select planning group, fearful that leakage of such information might have more significant negative effects. However, these particular organisations tended to be the ones who bypassed any prior, general notification about intended redundancies, thereby moving to ? phase two? , which is the actual notification of 10 those affected. The disadvantage of this closed and compulsory strategy is the type of situation referred to at the start of this article. Indeed, this particular organisation did not repeat its experience when it faced the need to undertake a further round of redundancies: this time it declared the need to make further workforce reductions, requested volunteers and stated that it would only declare compulsory redundancies if there were insufficient volunteers. Reactions related to disbelief, betrayal, loss of motivation, lower morale, mistrust, uncertainty, insecurity and lower commitment to the organization and so on are undoubtedly more pronounced where there is no announcement or indication before the actual notification of those to be made redundant. To summarised the rationales of this report would be, Job redundancies are common phenomena in post merger, lack of secondary data, there is no support, continuity or implementation of the programs like this in any organisation, Collecting information in real time from both participating and non-participating employee groups after redundancies is a challenging task, the mono-method bias is another limitation of this study and last but not least the time limit. 11 5. LITERATURE REVIEW Author Year Bob Moore 2002 Surviving Title Authors Evaluation Report Evaluation a to compulsory redundancy and Several factors contribute to A number of organisations Thriving During successful M. The first is using a Merger or instilling a positive mindset approach Acquisition among all employees – and this selection made the point can only start at the top. Senior that once change is known management alignment and to be about to occur there is partnership sets the tone, as more to be gained in terms employees managers look for to their of gaining the commitment and of key players than in direction assurance during this important leaving these employees ? n time. Getting people and the dark?. One organization processes to work together is held briefing sessions for all the only way to make the new its senior managers before company work. A successful the advent of a redundancy management evaluate team should programme in order to each company‘s provide reassurance, and to ?personal best practices? and talk through strategic plans incorporate them into the newly after the redundancies, with combined organization. all main board directors Although 75 percent of M present to field questions. don‘t reach their stated goals of greater financial results, there is a formula designed to encourage success. Attention, time and financial resources must be applied to employees and their work processes, so the new company ends up with a motivated, ? can-do? workforce. 12 Christiane Demers 1999 Merger acquisition and Communication‘s critical role in Poor communication and in the implementation of change is mergers often cited in the literature. intensifies acquisitions stress for announcements as corporate wedding narratives Communication is presented as organisational a tool for diffusing members top because of the uncertainty their future. The management intentions and for about preparing context of minds action to a new communication strategies Managers serve to reduce uncertainty, egitimate change to encourage in which both management employee commitment to and employees can voice their opinions, and concerns, provide imminent transformations. desires information. Adrian Furnham 2006 Deciding on One of the occasional tasks of a Senior management who promotions and manager is to de cide on who in had been involved in M redundancies their reporting staff to promote identified talent retention as as well as, where applicable, their biggest challenge in who to make redundant. In large leading a successful merger organisations guidelines factors there may be or acquisition, followed by concerning to take which making the deal generate into long term value. Less skilled some firms in the art of M also on talent both consideration. Further organisations keep records on focused performance designed to which reduce are management but failed to the create the fundamental subjectivity in these sorts of climate of ownership that decisions. Nevertheless this is recognised always because a of difficult the decision staff. and the value of many powerful consequences not only for the individual involved, but also his/her working colleagues and the organisation as a whole. 13 Stephen A. W 1994 Downsizing Improve Strategic Position to Planned large scale reductions A successful merger is all in head-count, or redundancies, about cost savings, right? ave become commonplace in Wrong. The most important many industries worldwide. In thing is making sure that the practice many downsizings fail valuable talent from both to achieve desired long-term companies doesn't simply results. Presents results of a march out the door. survey among large Canadian Ma nagers behind the most firms which suggests Examination management some successful mergers and reasons. strategic of acquisitions spend as much of time addressing â€Å"people† downsizing reveals weaknesses issues such as integrating of both planning and cultures, managing talent, knowledge and implementation. management of Effective sharing human retaining key people as they esources is a prerequisite but do on cost savings, merging failures often arise from processes, technologies and inattention to other important divisions. aspects of organizational change. Suggests that a wellthought-out strategy should be accompanied innovation, by process re- business engineering and organizational learning. Bob Moore 2004 Surviving and Several factors contribute to Suggestions for managing Thriving During successful M&As. The first is redundancies would be to a Merger or instilling a positive mindset encourages organisations to strategies avoid or which limit M&As that if is among all employees – and this develop can only start at the top. Senior reduce, management alignment Acquisition and redundancy after ensure artnership sets the tone, as seeks to employees look to their redundancy occurs, it 14 managers for direction and handled in accordance with law seeks of to raise assurance during this important the time. Getting people and awareness strategies processes to work together is which assist those affected the only way to make the new to retain self-respect and company work. A successful enhance management evaluate team each employability. should Redundancy is one of the company‘s most traumatic events an ?personal best practices? and employee may experience. incorporate them into the newly Announcement combined of organization. redundancies will invariably Although 75 percent of M&As have an adverse impact on don‘t reach their stated goals of morale, motivation and greater financial results, there is productivity. a formula designed to encourage success. Attention, time and financial resources must be applied to employees and their work processes, so the new company ends up with a motivated, ? can-do? workforce. Adrian Thornhill 1995 The positive For those organizations which Redundancies after M&A management of declare redundancy survivors: issues lessons redundancies without can be an opportunity for prior warning, the effect may positive change. Time could come as a shock to all be spent on self discovery re-focusing e. g. nd employees – those who are not and to be made redundant as well as advancement those who are to go. This has opportunities, particularly been the case in meeting new people and non-unionized organisations forming new working where there has not been the relationships, legal requirement to undertake learning new skills, getting prior consultation. One financial over the pain caused by the 15 services organisation stated that merger, and setting new this led to a period of shock for goals as well as creating an 24 hours during which work organisation that is better effectively ground to a halt. The than the two original management of the organization separate organisations. hen had to work quickly to overcome this effect, through company-wide communication and by demonstrating that those to be made redundant would indeed be fairly in treated. unionized prior However, even organisations, where consultation occurs, there may be the feeling that ? little attention has been given to the survivors of redundancy?. Beth Taylor 2002 The right way to There is a growing awareness Human resources strategies handle redundancies among business leaders that the like open up consultative way an organisation handles and participative redundancies sends out a very organisation-wide strong messag e about its discussion to seek out corporate ethics and values. possibilities that minimise redundancies, establish ound two-way means of communication which permit employees to freely vent their feelings, with a guaranteed right of reply from the organisation, communicate constantly and effectively. 16 Ridha Khayyat 1998 Al- Training and The more organizations seek This report excellence, employees‘ the training and and introduces a development needs assessment: more practical model of training development to needs reduce on a education becomes imminent. In assessment organisation redundancies practical model contemporary for institutes partner information stress dissemination by employees after merger and itself leads to little or no results. acquisition. The proposed It is the ability to that of the model is competency- organization knowledge disseminate based, which allows for the leads to incorporation to reduce employees‘ skills and abilities redundancies in post merger development. What matters is situation converting technology through people into better organisational performance. One thing which is true about the twenty-first century is that the development of human resources is no longer an option but a must. Joseph Cangemi 2004 P. Exit strategies Job losses that are the result of A number of organisations mergers, sale of a company, using restructuring, and downsizing as approach organizations profitability in struggle a a to compulsory redundancy or selection made the point highly that once change is known competitive corporate world are to be about to occur there is common. The reduction process more to be gained in terms forces organisations to employ a of gaining the commitment variety of exit strategies as they of deal with the most key players than in difficult leaving these employees ? in aspect of downsizing – the the dark?. reduction of personnel from their organisation as a means of rapid reduction of expense to 17 the company. Considers some employee-sensitive strategies exit Bryn Jones, 2001 How Redundancies Worsen Inequality Collective redundancy (CR) is The complexity of the erhaps the most central but situation for the survivors of acknowledged employment factor redundancy in means formula that after no M&As simple The are Social least shaping contemporary Britain. exists. at play The ease with which employers variables can execute CR allows not only diverse. It is often difficult to fairly rapid and to and also of far-reaching provide cause and effect business data, reflected in an overall working lack of evaluation. It changes organisational practices, restoration but prompt appears that there have few reported to companies‘ been financial deficits, as well as succes sful changes in the skill and implement of strategies attempts intervention which support demographic workforces. profiles nd assist the framework of organisational change after redundancies due to M&As and personal transition for both those leaving and the survivors of a redundancy experience. 18 6. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The primary data would be collected through, principally involving in-depth questioners and interviews with senior human resource practitioners and staff those who made redundant after M&As in the organisations. Before interviews occurred, these practitioners were supplied with a list of the questions. The ranged from the reasons for redundancies after M&As through to the impact of redundancies on organisational survivors, and organisational learning points for the future management of redundancies. A comprehensive assessment after redundancies can reveal how a company has emerged from the combination and how ready it is to achieve future goals. Secondary data would be collected by using publicly available information, public domino, Newspapers, Articles on Redundancies after M&A and International Journals on this topic. 7. FURTHER EVOLUTION The need to reduce costs is an opportunity critically to review current ways of doing things, to make major improvements using new technology or better methods and build strengths for the future. Reasons for the design of existing work flows are often buried in history and reflect yesterday? s crises. Many organisations have found that simply the exercise of mapping their major business processes can suggest dramatic improvements. Redundancies, duplications, inefficiencies and ? disconnects? are common in most processes or systems which have been in operation for a while. Massive reductions after M&As radically change managerial and workforce attitudes. Individuals no longer trust organisational commitment to long-term employment and morale has suffered in many cases. Corporate psyches have been forced to confront the possibility that growth may not return, and decline may be inevitable. Dealing with these issues effectively is the difference between a company that will continue to suffer the redundancy hangover long after the event and one that can 19 move on swiftly. Companies that manage the process of redundancies after M&As well in terms of being fair and transparent and in terms of giving a level of support to the employees when they‘re leaving, create an environment in which the people who are left behind say: ? Well, at least they treated them fairly, and it had to happen for a business reason – at least they looked after them and didn‘t just shove them out the door. The high level of consultation required makes good management sense. ?Two things: once the decision has been taken, how an employer conducts himself after that is going to be critical. It‘s about being responsive to employees — giving them an opportunity to have discussions; making sure information is available to them. All of that will be seen by employees who remain behind as well. Secondly, the communication process for those who remain is important, making sure they‘re not ignored or sidelined just because they‘re not part of the programme. They may well feel left out. To this end the following are some of the approaches that may assist: ? Have pre-existing human resources strategies to cope with such a situation. These should be open and transparent, subject to widespread consultation, and equitable. ? An organisation needs to provide a career management structure which enhances self-directed skill development. The opportunity to learn the transition skills necessary to career change are thereby created. ? In facing an experience, an organisation has to consider the impact on the symbols it has previously used to motivate staff, particularly its sense of mission. ? The management of restructuring, redeployment or redundancy is important, not simply as a humanitarian gesture, or for the sake of good public relations, but also because the effectiveness of the organisation that survives is at stake. ? Open up consultative and participative organisation-wide discussion as soon as danger signs appear. Seek out possibilities that minimise redundancies after merger. 20 ? Establish sound two-way means of communication which permit employees to freely vent their feelings, with a guaranteed right of reply from the organisation. Communicate constantly and effectively, and actively evaluate impact. ? Exercise effective leadership from the top, ensuring that the pain is shared, such as through voluntary salary cuts and the non-awarding or take-up of bonuses. ? Provide a clear reconciliation of the market and financial situation, options for amelioration, and the need for job cuts within this. ? Use clear and published criteria to determine the basis for redundancy, arrived at through consultation. ? Set up a mutual support network for those made redundant after M&As and continue to offer human resources help where required. Offer immediate counselling and assistance to all those identified for redundancy. Organisations should always attempt to avoid redundancies in post merger situation. Ways of doing this include: ? ? ? ? ? ? Natural wastage Recruitment freeze Stopping or reducing overtime Offer early retirement to volunteers (subject to age discrimination issues) Retraining or redeployment Offering existing employee‘s sabbaticals and secondments. 21 8. CONCLUSION Handling redundancies after M&As is a difficult task where decisions have to be made as to numbers, timing and criteria. The detail should be fully discussed with employee representatives, with the objective of getting agreement about the way matters should be handled. A successful merger is all about cost savings, right? Wrong. The most important thing is making sure that the valuable talent from both companies doesn't simply march out the door or made redundant. Managers behind the most successful mergers and acquisitions spend as much time addressing â€Å"people† issues such as integrating cultures, managing talent, sharing knowledge and retaining key people as they do on cost savings, merging processes, technologies and divisions. 9. REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES 1. 2. 3. Furnham, A. (2001), Management Competency Frameworks, CRF, London. Greenberg, J. (1996), The Quest for Justice on the Job, Sage, London. Sessa, V. , Taylor, J. 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